The Youth Leadership Team and team leaders outside the National Museum of African American History and Culture

For two days in June, the seven members of the Friendship Court Youth Leadership Team toured our nation’s capital with several adult leaders to study urban design, architecture, and community engagement. It was the culmination of a two-year program of civic education to help empower them to be active contributors to Friendship Court’s redevelopment plan. The trip was funded by a grant given to Piedmont Housing Alliance by the Society of Architectural Historians stewarded by board members and UVA Architecture School Professors, Beth Meyer and Barbara Brown Wilson.

The grant, in the amount of $4,990, enabled the team to visit many sites in DC on June 19 and 20. They traveled to Union Station by train early Tuesday morning and enjoyed lunch there along with observing the interior architecture of the building before meeting with Equitable Development Manager, Vaughn Perry to discuss the 11th Street Bridge Park project. Barbara Brown Wilson, assistant professor of environmental planning at the University of Virginia who traveled with the group said, “This has been a two-year program where we’ve all been learning about communities and leadership. Watching some of our recent middle school graduates asking really hard and important questions at the 11th Street Bridge Project just shows their level of sophistication.” Ty’Quan Mayo asked, “Are they really going to build the 11th Street Bridge?” To which Vaughn Perry answered, “Yes, it better get built. We have worked too hard for this.” Observations and questions were also shared regarding the safety of the space and how emergency vehicles would access the site if needed.

In the afternoon, the group met with Matthew Steenhoek, who works with PN Hoffman, the developers of DC’s District Wharf, a multi-phased, sustainable, mixed-use project. At the Wharf, they were able to observe an architectural model of the new development along the Potomac River and hear a brief discussion about urban planning and design of buildings and public spaces. After the discussion, the youth were able to tour the Wharf and see the actual public spaces that were viewed on the architectural model.

Beth Meyer addresses the group inside the National Museum of African American History and Culture

Emilee and Addi during lunch break at the museum

On day two, the youth members were given a special tour of the National Museum of African American History and Culture before its usual opening time at 10 in the morning. The group was given a chance to walk through the expansive museum to learn about our nation’s history and racial inequality. Youth leadership team member Daemond Nowlin said, “I enjoyed reflecting on the past and learning more about my ancestors.” After the visit to the museum, the group congregated on the grassy hill near the Washington Monument and listened to Landscape Architect Professor Beth Meyer speak about the design of public spaces and the structural relationships between other adjacent public buildings, such as the Capitol Building, Washington Monument and the White House.

Beth Meyer addressing the group near the National Monument

In the afternoon, the youth visited a housing development called SeVerna on K, which was completed in 2013 by Grimm + Parker Architects which are also the architects designing the Friendship Court redevelopment. The mixed-style and mixed-income housing complexes are located in the heart of NoMA, a vibrant, multi-generational community, and is a great example of a similar project to that of Friendship Court. Lead architect, Mel Thompson, spoke to the team about the history of the site, after the unsuccessful management of a previous housing development on the site and how now, many displaced residents have returned to the neighborhood, which includes many new amenities, access to transit, and proximity to new schools, a library and a recreation center. The youth were filled with energy while they walked around the SeVerna on K, a project very similar to the envisioned future of Friendship Court.

Mel Thompson, lead architect, explaining some of the features of the SeVerna on K

Having the opportunity to tour a couple of apartment units and walk through the building and its amenities gave the youth team a feeling of excitement and possibility for what the future Friendship Court might feel like. The tour ended with the youth soaking in the view from the rooftop terrace. It was a wonderful way to end the two-day trip.

Thanks to all the leaders and chaperones on this trip to include, Claudette Grant, community organizer for Friendship Court, Beth Meyer, landscape architecture professor at the School of Architecture and Piedmont Housing Alliance board member, Barbara Brown Wilson, assistant professor at the School of Architecture and Piedmont Housing Alliance board vice president as well as Margaret Haltom, recent UVA graduate and Peter Krebs, community outreach coordinator with Piedmont Environmental Council.

The program is equipping resident youth leaders with valuable skills, experiences, and networks to both provide input for the redevelopment and to create educational and career opportunities. Piedmont Housing Alliance remains committed to helping the Youth Leadership Team effectively provide input for the redevelopment of their community. _______________________________________________________

Founded in 1940, the Society of Architectural Historians is an international nonprofit membership organization that promotes the study, interpretation and conservation of architecture, design, landscapes and urbanism worldwide. SAH serves a network of local, national and international institutions and individuals who, by profession or interest, focus on the built environment and its role in shaping contemporary life. SAH promotes meaningful public engagement with the history of the built environment through advocacy efforts, print and online publications, and local, national and international programs.

]]>The Youth Leadership team spent a day at Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello learning about local history, architecture and landscape thanks to Piedmont Housing Alliance board member Barbara Brown Wilson. The youth asked questions and learned about Thomas Jefferson and Monticello. One question was, “how did Monticello become a site for people to visit? Who knew Monticello would be such an important place?” The group learned about the Levy family, whose vision and foresight aided the preservation of Monticello, and about many other interesting local history stories. The group even got to tour the special Dome Room, a special treat, not available to regular tour groups.

“I’ve been to Monticello several times, as had many of our young leaders. But this tour was by far my best experience, in large part to the shared love of learning exhibited between the youth leaders and our amazing tour guide, Liz Marshall. The youth leaders would bring in things they learned during the video orientation to ask complex follow-up questions during each aspect of the house tour. It was a fantastic experience,” said Barbara Brown-Wilson.

Many thanks to Monticello for a great day from Barbara, Bailey, Javisha, Jarvis, Emilee, Justin, Ty’Quan, Tianna and Claudette!

]]>https://www.friendshipcourtapartments.com/2017/12/20/youth-leadership-team-pays-visit-thomas-jeffersons-monticello/feed/0Light House Studio Partners with Friendship Court’s Youth Leadership Teamhttps://www.friendshipcourtapartments.com/2017/12/07/light-house-studio-partners-with-friendship-courts-youth-leadership-team/
https://www.friendshipcourtapartments.com/2017/12/07/light-house-studio-partners-with-friendship-courts-youth-leadership-team/#respondThu, 07 Dec 2017 16:24:29 +0000http://www.friendshipcourtapartments.com/?p=1226On the heels of the Virginia Film Festival, where many youth present their film projects they have participated in through the Adrenaline Film Project, is a story about aspiring filmmakers that make up the Youth Leadership Team at Friendship Court. … Continue reading →

On the heels of the Virginia Film Festival, where many youth present their film projects they have participated in through the Adrenaline Film Project, is a story about aspiring filmmakers that make up the Youth Leadership Team at Friendship Court.

During the summer months, Light House Studio partnered with the Youth Leadership Team at Friendship Court to teach them self-expression through the art of film. Zoe Cohen, former managing director, worked with the youth as part of an ongoing program entitled Keep It REEL, which is offered to youth in Charlottesville’s local community centers and schools.​ In addition to teaching the youth many diverse technical skills (cinematography, lighting, editing, and sound design), Zoe worked with the students to develop soft skills for the job market.

The Keep It REEL workshop, which is a focus on documentary filmmaking, began with a discussion about the types and stages of filmmaking. The Youth Leadership Team watched a variety of short documentaries to learn about camera angles and how different framing affects what the filmmakers wish to convey to the audience. Viewing and discussing documentaries also taught the students the valuable skill of critiquing. This process also helped them gather ideas for their own films. The subsequent three sessions were dedicated to brainstorming ideas, writing interview questions, as well as learning about the equipment and how to work as a team. Once pre-production was complete the group began production – working as a crew to film each other’s mini-documentaries. The youth took turns as Director, Camera Operator, Sound Recordist, Slate Operator, and Interviewer.

Zoe said, “It was exciting to see the range of story ideas from personal stories to short films about hopes and dreams for the future of Friendship Court.” The Youth Leadership Team worked very hard during their final stage of filmmaking: editing. Students spent many weeks editing their documentaries and learning how to craft their story, in addition to adding sound, music, and titles.

The Light House Studio program concluded in October with an intimate celebratory screening at Light House Studio’s Vinegar Hill Theatre where they got to view the final projects they worked very hard to craft.

]]>https://www.friendshipcourtapartments.com/2017/12/07/light-house-studio-partners-with-friendship-courts-youth-leadership-team/feed/0Youth Leadership Team Members Participate in UVa Ecological Democracy Class to Develop Solutions in the Friendship Court Redevelopment Processhttps://www.friendshipcourtapartments.com/2017/07/18/youth-leadership-team-participates-in-uva-class-ecological-democracy-and-develops-quick-wins-for-the-redevelopment-process/
https://www.friendshipcourtapartments.com/2017/07/18/youth-leadership-team-participates-in-uva-class-ecological-democracy-and-develops-quick-wins-for-the-redevelopment-process/#respondTue, 18 Jul 2017 07:00:10 +0000http://www.friendshipcourtapartments.com/?p=1057Seven eager members of the Friendship Court Youth Leadership Team (YLT) spent the spring semester engaging with UVa students in a class at the UVa School of Architecture called Ecological Democracy. The term ecological democracy was originally coined by Professor … Continue reading →

]]>Seven eager members of the Friendship Court Youth Leadership Team (YLT) spent the spring semester engaging with UVa students in a class at the UVa School of Architecture called Ecological Democracy. The term ecological democracy was originally coined by Professor Randolph T. Hester from the Department of Landscape Architecture and Environmental Planning at the University of California at Berkeley. Its main tenet is that community resilience “can be built through direct contact with the social and ecological processes that impact the built world, and that communities are stronger when co-powered to drive decision-making processes themselves.” Addy, Daemond, Emilee, Jarvis, Javisha, Justin, and Tyquan are the YLT members who are beginning to engage in decision-making regarding their community through this process.

The Ecological Democracy course was developed and led by Barbara Brown-Wilson, Assistant Professor of Environmental Planning at the University of Virginia, with master plan design team member Liz Ogbu as a visiting professor. Several graduate students also planned biweekly dialogues with the YLT members. The dialogues began as an exercise to get to know and trust each other and evolved to in-depth discussions and planning to address potential “opportunity areas” for improvement within the Friendship Court community.

The dialogue groups met once or twice a week, usually at UVa.

Katie Deal was a participating student whose interdisciplinary major focused on public and private partnerships that develop equitable models for affordable housing. “In order to develop solutions that fit the community, you need to talk to the stakeholders first to really understand what their day-to-day life is like,” Katie said. “We knew that we could do this with the Youth Leadership Team to learn best practices for human-centered design.”

Human-centered design should ultimately create solutions that work well for everyone involved in the process, and should provide opportunities for those being directly impacted by the design to express their perspective and concerns. This type of design takes longer than the traditional design process and requires flexibility from all parties involved.

The students discussed design challenges, potential areas for improvement, and possible design solutions. The workshops included mapping exercises and brainstorming sessions along with intuitive design tools to visualize possibilities and to stimulate conversation and creativity as the students were asked to reflect on the design and evaluation process.

Through these exercises, the youth came to recognize the opportunity areas in their community. They identified five potential projects in the collaborative design workshops and narrowed those down to two through feedback and a vote. Through several design brainstorming sessions independently led by the UVa students in collaboration with the YLT members, these two opportunity areas were then developed into potential quick-win design solutions.

Over the four months of collaborative effort, the group came up with both short-term and long-term quick-win goals designed to solve each problem identified by the YLT members. Some of the ideas included:

Creating a space for relaxation and community gathering, which could include benches and planters around the courtyards

Improving the basketball court area

Making enhancements to the fence, including opening of the gates all the time, beautifying the area if the fences are not taken down and ultimately taking down the fence

The quick wins are important elements of the redevelopment process as they help provide the youth with a sense of excitement and more immediate visible accomplishments during the longer redevelopment process. In addition, these wins teach them how to use basic strategies and tools to continue community improvement and support into the future. To read more about all the quick-win opportunities and the class, see the course evaluation put together by the students at the end of the class.

This collaboration between the youth at Friendship Court and the faculty and students at the University of Virginia is helping create a supportive platform for improving the quality of life of residents during the redevelopment of Friendship Court. The partnership and leadership program started in 2016 and will continue through 2018. The Youth Leadership Team is designed to involve the youth through mentorship, resources, and coordination. In addition to their sustainable land-use curriculum, the youth have participated in financial management courses, resume writing workshops, interview preparation sessions, and field trips.

We look forward to hearing more throughout the redevelopment process from the Youth Leadership Team about their role in helping create a more inclusive and improved community at Friendship Court.

]]>https://www.friendshipcourtapartments.com/2017/07/18/youth-leadership-team-participates-in-uva-class-ecological-democracy-and-develops-quick-wins-for-the-redevelopment-process/feed/0Youth Leadership Team Tours the Architecture School at UVa and Makes Their Own 3-D Modelshttps://www.friendshipcourtapartments.com/2017/05/30/youth-leadership-team-tours-the-architecture-school-at-uva-and-makes-their-own-3-d-models/
https://www.friendshipcourtapartments.com/2017/05/30/youth-leadership-team-tours-the-architecture-school-at-uva-and-makes-their-own-3-d-models/#respondTue, 30 May 2017 15:33:17 +0000http://www.friendshipcourtapartments.com/?p=947This past spring, the Youth Leadership Team was invited by the National Organization of Minority Architects local chapter to tour UVa’s School of Architecture. Professor Elgin Cleckley organized and led the tour with several of his students. Elgin is an … Continue reading →

This past spring, the Youth Leadership Team was invited by the National Organization of Minority Architects local chapter to tour UVa’s School of Architecture. Professor Elgin Cleckley organized and led the tour with several of his students. Elgin is an Assistant Professor of Architecture and Design Thinking at the University of Virginia, School of Architecture and teaches Design Thinking studios and foundation courses at the School of Architecture, with appointment in the Curry School of Education and the School of Nursing.

One of Professor Cleckley’s architecture school students began the tour with an introduction and overview of the school and its programs, providing the youth with insight into the work that goes on there. Once inside, they were led through the current art exhibit of UVa alumnus, Carlton Abbott, viewing a collection of drawings that were created during his career which has spanned over fifty years. The drawings depicted a range of subjects from housing to large urban projects. Then, the youth explored downstairs starting with a tour of the wood shop. With lots of end of the year projects being completed, they were able to see some students’ work being finalized in time for May’s graduation. Then, the students were introduced to printing and toured the CNC Lab where they learned the different ways one can print using a CNC machine. There, they saw how 3-D models really begin to take shape. These fabrication facilities are called the SARC Shops which are in a consortium with the Arts Grounds Shops that include the Scene Shops at the Drama Department and the Shops at McIntire Department of Art. The students learned they are laboratories for thinking through making both in the analog and the digital realm.

After a quick view of one of the computer facilities, the final part of the tour took the youth through the architecture school studios. At UVa’s School of Architecture this place is located on and encompasses most of the third and fourth floors of Campbell Hall. It consists of very open and collaborative spaces where students can discuss ideas together and help formulate the ultimate design work they produce. Several architecture students shared their projects with the youth and explained their 3-D modelling systems. The youth leaders showed much interest in these 3-D models and just a few short weeks later, were invited back by Professor Cleckley and his students to enjoy a more hands-on experience. During that second visit, the Friendship Court youth members put their creative minds to work, creating their very own 3-D models working together in the studios and getting a glimpse into the life of a UVA architecture student. They all seemed to really enjoy the hands-on experience of getting to use tools and create their own models.

Thank you to Professor Barbara Brown Wilson for her support and commitment in making sure the tour and hands-on experience happened for the youth leaders.

]]>https://www.friendshipcourtapartments.com/2017/05/30/youth-leadership-team-tours-the-architecture-school-at-uva-and-makes-their-own-3-d-models/feed/0Meet Tyquan Mayo, Member of the Youth Leadership Teamhttps://www.friendshipcourtapartments.com/2017/02/22/meet-tyquan-mayo-member-youth-leadership-team/
https://www.friendshipcourtapartments.com/2017/02/22/meet-tyquan-mayo-member-youth-leadership-team/#respondWed, 22 Feb 2017 17:16:38 +0000http://www.friendshipcourtapartments.com/?p=723Tyquan Mayo is one of seven Friendship Court residents on the Youth Leadership Team. The team has been meeting regularly since September at the Friendship Court Community Center and is an important part of Piedmont Housing Alliance’s resident engagement in … Continue reading →

Tyquan Mayo is one of seven Friendship Court residents on the Youth Leadership Team. The team has been meeting regularly since September at the Friendship Court Community Center and is an important part of Piedmont Housing Alliance’s resident engagement in the redevelopment of Friendship Court. The goal is to equip resident youth leaders with the skills to provide input for the redevelopment with particular focus on activity areas, green space, and programming. Youth participants gain valuable skills, experiences, and academic and professional networks that will create educational and career opportunities.

Tyquan, 13, is in the 8th grade at Buford Middle School. He has a special love of hamsters and cheese sticks. He is interested in meteorology and hopes to become a meteorologist one day after possibly attending Michigan State University. His favorite color is bright pink and he likes listening to the Beatles. When asked where he would like to go on vacation, Tyquan said Dubai because he thinks it looks like a really beautiful place. Tyquan says he is learning about managing money along with becoming a leader.

Tyquan was interested in becoming a member of the Youth Leadership Team because he wants to learn more about what is going on with the redevelopment. He is interested in finding out what it’s going to look like, especially the green spaces.

Mark your calendars to watch Terri Allard’s, Charlottesville Inside Out on March 23rd where she features Tyquan in a segment dedicated to the work Piedmont Housing Alliance does throughout the community.

]]>https://www.friendshipcourtapartments.com/2017/02/22/meet-tyquan-mayo-member-youth-leadership-team/feed/0Meet Jarvis Jackson, Member of the Youth Leadership Teamhttps://www.friendshipcourtapartments.com/2017/02/07/meet-jarvis-jackson-member-youth-leadership-team/
https://www.friendshipcourtapartments.com/2017/02/07/meet-jarvis-jackson-member-youth-leadership-team/#respondTue, 07 Feb 2017 17:00:12 +0000http://www.friendshipcourtapartments.com/?p=691Jarvis Jackson is one of seven Friendship Court residents on the Youth Leadership Team. The team has been meeting regularly since September at the Friendship Court Community Center and is an important part of Piedmont Housing Alliance’s resident engagement in … Continue reading →

Jarvis Jackson is one of seven Friendship Court residents on the Youth Leadership Team. The team has been meeting regularly since September at the Friendship Court Community Center and is an important part of Piedmont Housing Alliance’s resident engagement in the redevelopment of Friendship Court. The goal is to equip resident youth leaders with the skills to provide input for the redevelopment with particular focus on activity areas, green space, and programming. Youth participants gain valuable skills, experiences, and academic and professional networks that will create educational and career opportunities.

Jarvis, 14, is in the 9th grade at Charlottesville High School. He works at Kroger but when he is not working or at school, he likes to go to the gym to work out. He says he likes helping people. His favorite color is sky blue, usually the color he wakes up to. Jarvis hopes to become a doctor one day. When asked where he would like to go on vacation, Jarvis said he’s always wanted to go to Bora Bora because it seems very wonderful and because he wants to go somewhere different. Jarvis said he is learning a lot in this program, including how to spend money properly and also how to save it. He also says he’s learning more about how to be a team player.

Jarvis says he was interested in becoming a member of the Youth Leadership Team because he is interested in doing what’s right. He enjoys getting out and meeting new people, and being a part of this team helps him get to know his community better and learn where he can contribute to it.

]]>https://www.friendshipcourtapartments.com/2017/02/07/meet-jarvis-jackson-member-youth-leadership-team/feed/0Meet Justin Jackson, Member of the Youth Leadership Teamhttps://www.friendshipcourtapartments.com/2017/02/01/meet-justin-jackson-member-of-the-youth-leadership-team/
https://www.friendshipcourtapartments.com/2017/02/01/meet-justin-jackson-member-of-the-youth-leadership-team/#respondWed, 01 Feb 2017 15:58:18 +0000http://www.friendshipcourtapartments.com/?p=683Justin Jackson is one of seven Friendship Court residents on the Youth Leadership Team. The team has been meeting regularly since September at the Friendship Court Community Center and is an important part of Piedmont Housing Alliance’s resident engagement in … Continue reading →

Justin Jackson is one of seven Friendship Court residents on the Youth Leadership Team. The team has been meeting regularly since September at the Friendship Court Community Center and is an important part of Piedmont Housing Alliance’s resident engagement in the redevelopment of Friendship Court. The goal is to equip resident youth leaders with the skills to provide input for the redevelopment with particular focus on activity areas, green space, and programming. Youth participants gain valuable skills, experiences, and academic and professional networks that will create educational and career opportunities.

Justin, 13, is in the 8th grade at Buford Middle School where he says there are some pretty cool teachers. He enjoys video games and is interested in becoming a video game designer. His favorite color is violet. When asked where he would like to go on vacation, Justin said Dubai because he thinks it looks beautiful. Justin enjoyed getting to see the movie Hidden Figures recently with other members of the Youth Leadership Team, and he commented that the movie portrayed great examples of leadership.

Justin was interested in becoming a member of the Youth Leadership Team because he wants to help make the community even better than it already is.

]]>https://www.friendshipcourtapartments.com/2017/02/01/meet-justin-jackson-member-of-the-youth-leadership-team/feed/0Meet Javisha Jackson, Member of the Youth Leadership Teamhttps://www.friendshipcourtapartments.com/2017/01/26/meet-javisha-jackson-member-youth-leadership-team/
https://www.friendshipcourtapartments.com/2017/01/26/meet-javisha-jackson-member-youth-leadership-team/#respondThu, 26 Jan 2017 18:21:52 +0000http://www.friendshipcourtapartments.com/?p=671Javisha Jackson is one of seven Friendship Court residents on the Youth Leadership Team. The team has been meeting regularly since September at the Friendship Court Community Center and is an important part of Piedmont Housing Alliance’s resident engagement in … Continue reading →

Javisha Jackson is one of seven Friendship Court residents on the Youth Leadership Team. The team has been meeting regularly since September at the Friendship Court Community Center and is an important part of Piedmont Housing Alliance’s resident engagement in the redevelopment of Friendship Court. The goal is to equip resident youth leaders with the skills to provide input for the redevelopment with particular focus on activity areas, green space, and programming. Youth participants gain valuable skills, experiences, and academic and professional networks that will create educational and career opportunities.

Javisha, 17, is in the 11th grade at Charlottesville High School. She has four brothers. Javisha is learning a lot about credit and savings through the Youth Leadership Program. Her favorite color is blue and she likes listening to R&B and hip-hop music. Javisha would love to travel to Paris or Barcelona because they both look so beautiful. She is thinking of becoming an obstetrician when she gets older.

Javisha was interested in becoming a member of the Youth Leadership Team because it gives her the chance to help other kids out at Friendship Court. She also thinks this will help her learn about the redevelopment in a way for her to share with others.

]]>https://www.friendshipcourtapartments.com/2017/01/26/meet-javisha-jackson-member-youth-leadership-team/feed/0Youth Leadership Team Learns About Financial Management from Piedmont Housing Alliancehttps://www.friendshipcourtapartments.com/2017/01/18/youth-leadership-team-learns-financial-management-piedmont-housing-alliance/
https://www.friendshipcourtapartments.com/2017/01/18/youth-leadership-team-learns-financial-management-piedmont-housing-alliance/#respondWed, 18 Jan 2017 16:42:09 +0000http://www.friendshipcourtapartments.com/?p=653The Friendship Court Youth Leadership Team has kicked off the new year with a two-part series of classes on financial management, taught by Piedmont Housing Alliance’s Shelley Murphy. Shelley, a housing counselor at Piedmont Housing, has more than 12 years … Continue reading →

The Friendship Court Youth Leadership Team has kicked off the new year with a two-part series of classes on financial management, taught by Piedmont Housing Alliance’s Shelley Murphy.

Shelley, a housing counselor at Piedmont Housing, has more than 12 years of experience teaching a variety of classes ranging from financial budgeting to home ownership. In her first session, Shelley covered basic money management and discussed how to create a budget. They participated in several activities to help them start thinking more in-depth about money management. In one activity, the team talked about leaders and how a leader might make decisions about money. Shelley also split the team into two groups, and asked them to explain how they might teach a group of 5th graders about money management and budgeting. This gave them an opportunity to share what they had learned.

During her second session, Shelley explained credit and how to come up with a manageable spending plan. The team members learned the difference between a charge card and a credit card and also just what credit is.

Knowing how to deal with one’s finances is a critical life skill. Since the youth receive a stipend for participating in the youth leadership program, and have or will soon have jobs, offering them an opportunity to learn about the importance of money management and good credit is a very valuable experience. Claudette Grant, Friendship Court’s community organizer said, “You are never too young to learn these skills.”

The Youth Leadership Program equips resident youth leaders with valuable skills, experiences, and networks to both provide input for the redevelopment and to create educational and career opportunities. Piedmont Housing Alliance remains committed to helping the Youth Leadership Team of Friendship Court effectively provide input for the redevelopment of their community. This team of highly motivated and engaged youth is embracing the challenges in front of them.